A target shooter admitted starting the brushfire that became the massive Sawmill Fire, a newly released Pima County Sheriff's Department report confirms.
The man, Dennis Dickey, told a sheriff's deputy on April 23, the day the fire started near Madera Canyon south of Tucson, that he was using Tannerite, an explosive powder that can be detonated by a high-velocity rifle round and is commonly used in target shooting, "and that was what caused the fire."
Dickey also said he was one of the people who reported the fire, the report says.
The sheriff's report does not mention that Dickey is a Border Patrol agent. The Border Patrol has said one of its agents is being investigated in connection with off-duty recreational shooting that caused the fire but did not release his name.
The fire started on state land, where target shooting is illegal, according to the state Land Department. The Forest Service is investigating but has declined to discuss the case.
The fire went on to burn 47,000 acres and cost at least $7 million to fight, authorities have said.
